September is World Alzheimer's Month!
World Alzheimer's Month is a campaign that aims to raise awareness and challenge the stigma that persists around dementia.
Sierra Dueck is the Southeastman Regional Coordinator at the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba.
She says dementia affects so many families right here in our province.
“Currently about just under 20,000 Manitobans live with dementia. And that number is expected to increase quite rapidly, almost doubling by 2050, so it affects a lot of people.”
For those who don’t know the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s, Dueck explains.
“When we talk about dementia, it's basically an umbrella term that we use, and Alzheimer's can kind of fall under that umbrella as a different type. So there's many different kinds of dementia, like Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia.”
Dueck informs that the fall session for Minds in Motion started this Wednesday.
The program is for those with mild to moderate signs of dementia or cognitive impairment.
“Minds in Motion is a recreation-based program where we just have a good time together, doing activities that are good for our bodies and brains.”
The person with dementia attends the program with another person, whether that be a care partner, a family member, a friend, or a respite worker.
Dueck says everyone in the program meets once a week for two hours, and the program is full of activities that are great for brain health.
“We do 50 minutes of gentle chair fitness, so getting our bodies moving. And then we take a short break and have some conversation and some coffee, and just get to know one another.”
Then for the last 50 minutes, they play various games.
Minds in Motion also provides a safe environment for socializing.
“That's a really big goal of ours. We want this program to be a safe, welcoming space where all of the people kind of understand and are coming from a similar lived experience, and where everyone is treated equally. That's our goal.”
She adds although the program is for those with dementia, that isn’t the focus of the program.
“Even though the program is designed for those who are living with cognitive changes, we don’t make an effort to talk about dementia in the program.”
Dueck informs that around 60 per cent of people living with dementia in Canada live at home, not in a personal care home setting.
“This means a program like Minds in Motion can help meet the needs of those who are experiencing mild-to-moderate signs of dementia and cognitive changes and who are still living at home, in their communities.”
The first session of the fall program was this past Wednesday, but there is still room for people to join.
“You're more than welcome to sign up that we still have space, so that's not an issue and if you missed the chance of this session, that's no problem.”
Dueck says the Minds in Motion program takes place all over Manitoba, which a lot of people don't know.
It takes place in Steinbach, Brandon area, Selkirk area, and in the Winkler area.
She informs they try to run the eight-week sessions every fall, winter, and spring across the province.
This fall, sessions are running every Wednesday.
With files from Judy Peters and Michelle Sawatzky